New Delhi (TDI): Because of purported political violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, pressure is growing from Hindu extremist groups on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to boycott the Bangladesh cricket team.
Threats to disrupt the forthcoming Test match in Kanpur have been made by the right-wing Hindu Mahasabha.
Due to remarks made by Vice President Jaiveer Bharadwaj, “Hindus are being massacred in Bangladesh… temples are being destroyed,” the group decided to boycott the cricket match between India and Bangladesh in Gwalior.
This comes after a demand in a letter to cancel the planned matches was made by Janajagriti Samiti, another right-wing party.
Until the alleged atrocities against Hindus are remedied, they contend, no games should take place.
Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, a controversial religious figure, has incited violence against the Muslim community in the past.
He is well-known for his hate speech directed towards Muslims and women.
https://twitter.com/Akhand_Bharat_S/status/1836231766912160005#His most recent remarks have sparked support for the boycott campaign by Hindutva supporters and members on social media, intensifying it even more.
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He has also threatened to call off the India-Bangladesh game, which is set to take place in Delhi from September 19 to 23.
He asserted that while India hosts their cricket team, Hindus in Bangladesh are under threat.
Tomorrow in Chennai, the first Test is scheduled to start. Up until October 12th, the series will consist of two Tests and three Twenty20 games.
Concerns over possible protests at several locations are raised by the scheduled matches in Chennai, Kanpur, Gwalior, Delhi, and Hyderabad.
As calls to boycott the Bangladesh cricket team get louder, the cricket scene in India is once again threatened by right-wing protests.
This reminds us of a worrisome history of threats of this kind made against visiting teams, most notably in the run-up to the 1999 Pakistan trip.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters was vandalized by Shiv Sena activists back then, making headlines.
They even moved the Test from New Delhi to Chennai because of their spectacular protest, which included digging up the ground.
